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Letter from THOMAS WILLIAM SILLOWAY to GEORGE PERKINS MARSH,
dated August 25, 1857.,
Original located at the University of Vermont's Special Collections in the George
Perkins Marsh Collection, filed by date.,
http://cdi.uvm.edu/collections/item/twsgpm570825 (accessed August 02, 2015)

Letter from THOMAS WILLIAM SILLOWAY to GEORGE PERKINS MARSH,
dated August 25, 1857.

Transcribed by
:
Ellen Thomson and Ralph H. Orth

TEI mark-up by
:
James P. Tranowski andEllen Thomson

Published by: University of Vermont. All rights reserved.

Publication Information

Boston Aug 25 .. 1857'

Mr. Marsh My Dear Sir The drawings and your letter is received I have carefully
considered your letter but am not quite decided just what to do The dome question
seems now to be at a final juncture and as the Lithograph is nearly done (quite
ready for the dome) what we do must be done quickly. As the new dome is to be the
leading feature of our building I am anxious to bestow upon it all the attention the
thing demands & hence the criticism you and Mr.
Williams have made aid me materialy in arriving at my conclusions. I do not
suggest a thing to either of you untill I have in my own mind thought the thing well
over. Untill I had made the design I last sent, I had made none that I even passably
liked well enough to adopt quite as it was. I have read everything at our
principal libraries, have studied well the designs of the principal domes of the old
countries and at last, considering as best I could all the bearings, Grecian
Architecture to be kept in view, cc. cc. I suceeded in making one that I flattered
myself was of much value. I could make it in most respects purely Grecian,
preserve your valuable idea of hight of dome, ellipticality etc. etc. In
short I thought I had produced a good thing. You will of course pardon me when I
speak earnestly for the late design. I am moved to labor for the production of the
best thing and hence shall risk the chance of being over tedious in -------------------------------- Page -------------------------------- what I may say at
this time for no opportunity after this will exist to say or to do much if anything
in the matter, at least so far as the picture is concerned. Your letter was written
the same day the drawings were forwarded to you from Burlington I have thought it
quite possible that it would be well to speak of a few of the points in your letter
for as luck will have it My opinion is somewhat at varience with your own. The
leading objection you advance to the new design is that it gives an aspect to the
whole thing of subordinancy to the dome while the drum is too important cc. I think
you are not quite right in this criticism for there is much more hight to
dome then there is to the drum and I had flattered myself that the
combination was fortunate. In execution the dome from the top of the
cornice up to the top of the finish at the base of the statue would be the great
feature of the whole thing. The dome will be judged of and [...] from the top of the
horizontal cornice and not from the top of the pediments for all from the cornice is
circular. I am loth to give up the idea that the dome will not lead
everything else and be the great distinguishing feature for there is a vast deal
more hight above the line I have than there is below it and the completeness of this
part is so unlike the rest (designedly so) it must claim the most of one's
attention. I dislike to go into any further detail on the other points but cannot
feel justified in closing this letter here. I want to speak of the -------------------------------- Page -------------------------------- the drum itself.
You have objections to the porticos and of course the broken outline of the drum and
these in your opinion doubtless give a subordinacy to the dome itself. We differ
some in regard to this. A dome I mean now the whole [...] drum and all is no [...]
thing as you know on the top of the Grecian Doric Temple Indeed nothing is admirable
and we borrow the right to use the thought from the Romans how it does not follow
that we need follow the Roman any farther than the idea or suggestion is concerned
and we may there fall back on our Grecian [...], and when we come to make our dome
what shall we do? My opinion is follow the Grecian as much as we can only use the
Roman suggestions. The Ionic according to latter day taste is to be put over the
Doric hence the architecture of the dome must be that now for my example [...]is by
all means the best and most approved and the building in which that is used is at
irregular in outline as any Gothic Cathedral is Pediments, Porticos cc. are its
great feature and anything tame is foreign from it. Now my idea of the drum of this
dome is this that we should not hesitate to break it up on the principal sides by
porticos cc We should avoid the circular Roman work as much as in us lies. For a
moment think of perspective view of our building. Portico, wings and back part, some
low some high varities in -------------------------------- Page -------------------------------- widths, perpectives cc cc Would not a perspective of
the new dome be quite in harmony with these, and a simple one not so? I will not in
this place discuss the property of the porticos or the [...] sides. They would not
in my opinion give the idea of anything at all questionable They would simply add
variety to outline as [...] of the kind [...] to the Erectheum and to give all up in a few words something of the kind should be
done to make our building what it should be. You speak of the original dome cc
Suggesting that that will perhaps be the best. That was designed before any sort of
decoration was put on the windows or much if any change made in the wings such as
pediments on the ends amp;c In haste I made a new design better adapted to the
decoration anticipating in time to amend & so I wrote you. Our building is
much broken in outline So should the dome be. This last design is with me the only
thing that appears to be right. And hence I write you this for one more
consideration and shall act after I hear hear from you as you advise. I do hope a
renewed examination may convince you and Mr. Williams of the peculiar [...] of
adhering to the original Greek as much as we can and ignoring the Roman The Greek I
will both by example, and by our buildings outline needs be irregular. Think of the
perspective view of our building and [...] the broken outline of the dome by that.

As this is probably the last letter I shall need to write I will close by saying that
the dome and drum as drawn is my best idea of what we need and that no valid
objection that I know of exists. Amendments of proportion are needed but in the main
I hope it may meet with favor